


Diplomatic Relations

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [93]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-11
Updated: 2007-01-11
Packaged: 2018-02-07 17:39:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1907904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dinner at the Mastersons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Diplomatic Relations

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, and Carol  
> Mali Wane for posting  
> My former betas: Alex and Ula

Ginny froze when she looked through the peephole. 

She'd hoped Quinn would bring a girl home someday, dressed up in her Sunday best, looking sweet and delicate next to his staunch solidity. 

Instead, there he stood with Ian, both of them dapper in their corduroy jackets. She supposed she'd have to get used to it from now on if she wanted her son back in her life. 

She'd seen them together before, of course, in jacket and tie, on their visits to the Luke Playhouse. Now she saw those outings as what they'd really been -- a double date. 

Shivering, she realized just how deluded she'd been, and for how long. 

Dinner together had seemed like an innocuous first step when she'd suggested it on Christmas Eve. But now that they were actually at the door, she just hoped she'd be able to get through it. The awkwardness of the situation immobilized her. 

John came up beside her and squeezed her shoulder, just the reassurance she'd needed. She opened the door, managing a tentative smile. It had been too long since Quinn had been home. 

Her eyes were drawn to the flash of metal around their fingers. She'd been startled to notice their rings on Christmas Eve, and they still unsettled her -- one more barrier between them. 

Subdued greetings all around, then John hung up their jackets, while she put Quinn's gift of Montecillo wine on the bar. Their guests took the easy chairs, leaving the couch to John and her. She was developing a new appreciation for their tact and diplomacy. 

Ian could barely sit still. It was hard not to stare at him fidgeting in his chair. What must this be like for him? A venture into enemy territory? 

Quinn's hands were gripping the chair arms as if restraining his own touch of reassurance. She closed her eyes in dismay, his small forbearance reminding her of all the others he'd been forced into over the years. 

"Would you like to join us for New Year's Eve?" Quinn asked hesitantly. 

She'd been expecting this invitation; just like Quinn to try and start the year off right. These visits had to get easier, didn't they? At John's small nod, she said, "We'd enjoy that." 

They had salvaged the holiday season, she reflected. For a while, separate parties had seemed inevitable. Now, thanks to John's impetuousness on Christmas Eve, they'd found something to celebrate together after all. 

Quinn smiled with her words, and relaxed into his chair. "I'm thinking spinach lasagna?" 

How like Quinn to offer their favorite, she thought fondly. "I'm hungry already." 

John chuckled. "Then it's a good thing we've got dinner coming." 

She looked over at Ian, who had a small grin on his face, and tried to include him in the conversation. "Quinn's told us that you're up for tenure next semester." 

Ian smiled shyly. "Yes, ma'am --" 

She interrupted, "Ginny, please." 

Ian looked like he had been given another Christmas present. "It'll be in committee for a few months, Ginny. We might know by March." 

She nodded. "Good luck. Every year, the process becomes more byzantine." 

A timer went off in the kitchen, and she rose to check on dinner with John, who hugged her before she could reach the oven. "Only another hour and a half to go!" 

"Thank goodness," John replied, voice muffled by her hair. 

Quinn knocked, and she disentangled from John. "Need some help?" His forced casualness grated on her. 

She handed him the rolls and salad. Ian was filling the water glasses when she and John came out with veal marsala and polenta. She'd wanted to treat Quinn to his vitello, another peace offering. 

She sat down across from John, with Quinn facing Ian. At least it was a pleasure to see Quinn salivate over her cooking again. It felt like the Thanksgiving they had never really celebrated this year. 

As if reading her mind, Quinn said, "Thank you," echoed by Ian. 

She could tell that they weren't talking only about the meal. Just as she was about to answer, John said, "You're welcome" to both of them. 

She tucked into the meal, glad that the men seemed to be enjoying it. Almost like their weekly dinners before the estrangement, save for Ian's presence. Even in his current diffidence, she could see flashes of the same affable young man she'd known as Quinn's friend. 

Her awkwardness was gradually melting away in the face of his shy charm. He was quick to refill her water glass and offer her more food. 

"Winning over the mother-in-law," she thought wryly. 

"Love the asiago. Now I know where Quinn learned to make this," Ian said, taking a second helping of polenta. 

Quinn took more, too. "Didn't you tell me Great Grandma gave you the recipe before I was born?" 

She nodded. "She'd make this as a treat for me." 

After the meal, Quinn and Ian rose to clear the dishes with such practiced ease that she wondered if they did the same at Padua. A twist of regret went through her at all the time she'd lost with Quinn. 

Luckily, Luke basketball was on TV. She sat down to watch, the others around her in the same seats as before, and she could feel the tension ease, transferred to the Skyhawks' offense. At the final buzzer, Luke was up by four points and celebratory hugs seemed natural. 

Now was the perfect time for them to leave, she thought, and again Quinn seemed to be psychic. He and Ian thanked them once more, and reminded them of their New Year's Eve date as they left. 

A sigh escaped her as she closed the door. 


End file.
